1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device.
2. Description of Related Art
There has been used a semiconductor device provided with two bipolar transistors as an electrostatic protective element that protects object circuit elements from an overvoltage applied to its terminal.
For example, the patent document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei1(1989)-287954) discloses such a semiconductor device (electrostatic protective element) 400 as shown in FIG. 8.
This semiconductor device 400 has an N type diffusion region 403 as a collector region, as well as two P type diffusion regions 404 and 405 formed in this N type diffusion region 403. The P type diffusion regions 404 and 405 are base regions. In those P type diffusion regions 404 and 405 are formed N type layers 406 and 407 as emitter regions.
In the semiconductor device 400 as described above, if a voltage is applied to its input terminal, then the diode functions forward between the base region (P type diffusion region 405) and the collector region (N type diffusion region 403) of one transistor 402. In the other transistor 401, the bias is reversed between the base region (P type diffusion region 404) and the collector region (N type diffusion region 403). If a voltage applied to the other transistor 401 is over the withstand voltage between the base region and the collector region of the other transistor 401, then the transistor 401 is turned on and a current flows to the ground.